Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-13
honleSpun.

Dy TINS startling apparltlon. Ihe dismOunted
ones flung themselves on their horses and all
fled away at a gallop, without attempting to
make a stand and without taking thought of
their wagon. As they scurried along the
opposite mountain side Fortner and Harry
fired at them, but without being able to tell
whether their shots took effect.
The pursuit was carried but a little dis.
lance. The wagon was secured and taken
up the mountain. A little after midnight
the summit was passed, and Fortner led the
way into an opening to the right, which
eventually brought up at little level spot
in front of large cave. The horses were
unhitched and unsaddled, fire built, cedar
boughs gathered to make bed on the rocky
floor of the cave, and they threw themselves
down upon this to sleep the sleep of utter
WEAKNESS.
In the meantime Harry had learned that
the new Corners were cousins of Formers.
who, being out on free scouting expedition,
had been encountered by Aunt Debby and
the Others near the summit of the mountain,
and had started back with them to the assist
ance of Fortner. The sound of firing had so
excited them that the suggestion of charge
by Kent Edwards was eagerly aeceded to.
1T must be near O'clock" said Kent,
looking up at the stars, as he came back
stealthily from laying the saddle blanket,
which was the only covering he and Abe
had, upon the sleeping form of Aunt Debby,
and my downy couch still waits for me- My
lifelong habits of staid responsibility have
been greatly shaken recently"
Abe groaned derisively
An inspection the next morning of the
wagons load showed it to be mainly made up
of hams, shoulders and sides, plundered from
the snlokehouses visited. With these were a
number of guns, including several fine rifles,
and all the ammunition that could be found
along the route
A breakfast was made of slices of ham
broiled on the ends of sticks, and then a con-
sultation was held as to the plans for the days
operations.
The result of this was decision that Aunt
Debby and one of the newcomers should 60
back and inform the neighborhood of what
had taken place, gather party to remove
the dead from the creek and bury them, to
keep the water from being poisoned, and re-
cover what property might be found with the
first wagon. Kent Edwards, Abe Bolton,
and two of the new oomers would scout down
toward London, to ascertain the truth of the
rumor that Zollicoffer bad evacuated that
south of it. Fortner and Harry Glen would
take the wagon to Wildcat Gap, report what
had been done, and explain to their com
mander the absence of the enlisted men
Shade of King Solomon said Kent to
Abe, after their party had ridden for two or
three hours through the mountains toward
London II wonder if there is any other
kind of worldly knowledge that l know as
little about as l did of scouting when we
started outl My eyes have been opened to
my own ignorance, used TO have the con-
ceit that we two could play fair hand at any
game of war they could get up for our enter
tainment. But these Fantuckians give Inc
points every hundred yards that never so
much as dreamed of. Theirs is the wisdom
of serpents when compared with our dove
like innocence"
II like dove-lil1e innocence interrupted
Abe
"But did you ever see anybody that could
go through the country as these fellows can?"
It's just marvellous. They know every short
cut to every point, and they know just where
to go every time to see away ahead without
being seen themselves 1t would puzzle the
sharpest Confederate bushwhacker TO get the
drop on thcm.h
~ don't know as / want to learn their way
of doing" said Abe, crustily. st looks like
sneaking, on big scale, that's all. And I'm
ashamed of this laying round behind log or
rock to pop man over. 1t amt my style
at all. believe in open and above board
fighting, give and take, and may the best
man win
$50 do |, though suppose all's fair in war.
But when we scout we give them the same
chance to knock us over that they give us
when they scout III admit it looks like
murder to shoot men down that way, for it
does not help either side along particle.
But these Kentuckians have a great many
private injuries to avenge, and they can't do
it any other way"
All the people of the region were intensely
Union, so it was not difficult to get exact in
formation of the movements of the Confed-
crates, and as the scouts drew near London
they became assured that not only all of
Zollicoffer's infantry, but his small parties of
cavalry, had retreated beyond tho town. Our
scouts, therefore, putting Edwards and Bolton
to the front, that their blue uniforms might
tell the character of the party, spurred into a
gallop, and dashed into London, to be re-
ceived with boundless enthusiasm
Somebody ought to ride back to Wildcat
Immediately" said Kent, after they had en-
joyed their reception little while, "and re-
port this to the general"
All assented to this proposition
ut is really the duty of myself and COM
rade here to do it, said Kent, shifting I'M
easily in his chair, to find O comfortable place
to sit upon; "but as we have been for two
days riding the hardest backed horses over
roads that were simply awful, and as pre-
vlous to that time we had not taken any
equestrian exercise for several years, there
are some fundamental reasons--that is, rea-
sons lying at the very base of things Che
shifted again)-why we should not be called
upon to do another mile of horseback riding
until Time has had an opportunity to exer-
else his soothing and healing influence, SO to
speak. Abe, | believe l have stated the case
with my usual happy combination of grace
and delicacyF'
"You have, as usual flushed tail race of
big words"
"In Short" Kent went on (Ah, thank
you. That is delicious. The best | ever
drank. Your mountain stills make the finest
applejack in the world. There must be
something in the water-that you don't put
in. It's as smooth as new made butter
Well, here's to tho Banner of Beauty and
you Hospitality interrupted me- we are will
ing to do anything for the cause, but unless
there is some other way of riding, the most
painful effort | could make for our beloved
country would be to mount that horse again,
and ride another hundred yards To be mes
senger of this good news would be bliss; what
prevents it is a blister"
The crowd laughed boisterously.
mister" said one of. the Kentuckians who
accompanied them, with that peculiar drawl-
ing infection of the word that 1t were hope
less to attempt to represent in print, "ef We
want ter send some one in yer places me an
81 heah will Ne powerful glad ter go. Jes'
git a note ter the jineral at Wildcat ready
while we saddle fresh beasts, an wen hev hit
in his hands afore midnight"
The proposition was Immediately accepted,
and in a little while the Kentuckians were
speeding their way back to Gen. Sch@pf,
with letter giving the news. and signed;
"Kent Edwards, Chief of Scouts
That evening u party of young men who
had followed the Confederate retreat some
distance, brought in a wagon which had been
concealed in an out of the way place, and left
there 1t was loaded mainly with things
taken from the houses, and was evidently thu
private collection of some freebooting sub
ordinate, who did not intend that the South
ern Confederacy should be enriched by the
property. Hence, probably, the hesitation
about taking it along with the main train
bas ,fad ovor 20 Ka,,@ ~, ,.o,,,,-.,.4a